How the Right Commercial Fuel Products Can Maximize Your Efficiency

3 Things to Consider Before Choosing an Industrial Oil Supplier

Are you using the right OEM compressor fluid?

December 21, 2018

A common practice for industrial operators is to employ service contracts with maintenance companies or equipment manufacturers to maintain certain items of equipment on site. Some of the most widely used types of service contracts are those that cover compressor systems. A survey of industrial plants with compressors concluded the following:

Damaging effects of water in oil

December 21, 2018

We know that water in a lubrication system can be detrimental to oil and equipment life. The below chart tells us that studies have concluded that 500 ppm of water can reduce the life of a bearing by more than half. The most effective way of removing water from oil is by vacuum dehydration. Lard Oil Company offers this technology through FilterIT. Information on FilterIT can be found at www.filteritservices.com

Entrained Air—How reduction in oil reservoir size is leading to oil-aeration problems

December 21, 2018

Through my work with ExxonMobil’s Equipment Builder group, I have partnered with leading equipment builders around the world to ensure that they have tailored maintenance solutions available for their latest product innovations. In the past few years, we have seen a number of trends in equipment technology design that will influence traditional application maintenance practices.

Why Choosing High Viscosity Index Oils Can Help Deliver Productivity

December 21, 2018

When it comes to selecting an industrial lubricant for a particular application, one of the key considerations is viscosity. Viscosity can influence lubricant life expectancy, equipment wear rate, energy consumption, fluidity and a range of other factors.

How Greases Work

December 21, 2018

To understand how greases work you must first understand what components make up a grease. The three primary components of grease are:
OIL 80-95%
THICKENER 5-20%
ADDITIVES 0-10%
With oil being the largest component in a grease, the viscosity and type of oil is very important. Just as you pick an oil for an application you should also understand the oil component for a grease application because it is the oil that provides the lubrication needed in an application.

Micropitting can lead to macro problems and we have the solution.

December 21, 2018

What is micropitting? Micropitting is a surface fatigue phenomenon mainly observed in gears but can also occur in rolling element bearings. Micropitting causes destructive wear that can occur within the first few hours of operation. If left uncontrolled, significant equipment failures may occur. While many factors can contribute to the generation of micropitting, surface roughness and lubricant selection are key factors. Micropitting is not a new phenomenon. It has become much more prominent as gearbox design has evolved with the use of case hardened or carburized gears. Gearbox technology has achieved significant reductions in gearbox size while increasing power throughput capability. This has required all design components, including the gear oil, to improve their performance capabilities.

Multigrade oils and the letter “W”

December 21, 2018

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has established a numerical code system for grading motor oils according to their viscosity characteristics. SAE viscosity gradings gradings include the following from low to high viscosity: 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 include the following, from low to high viscosity: 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 or 60. The numbers 0, 5, 10, 15 and 25 are suffixed with the letter W, designating they are "winter" (not "weight") or cold-start viscosity, at lower temperature. The document SAE J300 defines the viscometrics related to these grades. Kinematic viscosity is graded by measuring the time it takes for a standard amount of oil to flow through a standard orifice, at standard temperatures. The longer it takes, the higher the viscosity and thus higher SAE code.